Hey friends!

It’s another month in the books! Do you remember my goals from January?

 Well, here’s the update:

Bible in a Year

I actually made it through 3 books in the Bible!!!  The books were Genesis, Mark and Galatians. I am so happy y’all. I said in an Instagram post that this was the best decision I ever made. And, I totally stand by that.

I am learning new things and am reminded of Scripture that I learned long ago. And, I am also dealing with the questions that I have had for years concerning my faith. I promised myself that I would stay committed, but I was going to be no holds bar in my study time and with God.

Some questions are being answered. While there are others, I am still waiting. And, I am old enough to know that God doesn’t always answer in the form or timing that we think He should.

However, I love to dig deep. But, I have to be on a pretty tight reading schedule in order to make it through to my goal. So, one drawback from reading the Bible in a year is that you don’t have much time to marinate on passages. So, I have to put a bookmark on some interesting things.

But, I hope to do a post on why I feel everyone should try reading the Bible in a year. 

Study Methods

Again, you should look at my IG highlights for study methods.  For years, I have been doing the SOAP method, which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer.

However, there have been times, where I felt like I needed a method that took me more in-depth. Then, I stumbled on versemapping. I’ve seen different things online on this system, but it was exactly what I was looking for.

  Kristy Cambron has a pretty in-depth resource on how to get started with verse-mapping. There are about 7-10 different sections with versemapping which include finding definitions and related verses.

However, I am not always able to versemap because it can be time- consuming. As I said previously, you must move forward quickly in order to read the entire Bible in a year.  And, for me I found that I need a lot of time for versemapping. 

If I am running low on time, I will just write out a scripture that is speaking to me.  I also stumbled upon a method with the Proverbs 31 Ministries on their podcast.  Overall, I now prefer versemapping, but I will be using a variation of SOAP and VM to get through my yearlong reading journey. 

Lose 5 lbs.

So, I ended up with a net loss of 1 pound. I couldn’t tell you really what happened. I know that I had about two weeks (maybe more) with no beef or pork. So, I thought that would have helped me. But, that was a negative.

But, if there is any month that I’m not gaining, then I’m winning. In February, I plan to focus less on the scale and pick back up with my Keto group. If you missed my last post on why goal specific groups can be a great accountability resource, then check it out.

Compare Budget Percentages

Done! 

I looked at the 50/30/20 rule, which breaks down like this:

You can see 20% is listed as savings, but I found out this actually includes any debt repayments that doesn’t affect your credit score and extra payments that you make towards  all debt. You should look at this article from Balance. It breaks down this rule pretty good.

 I can say that we live pretty frugally in our house. With our budget, we are close to about 10% at the moment for wants. However, our savings category has got to increase. Am I the only one, who is under the thumb of student loans?!😭😭. 

We look more like 80/10/10. I will continue to look at the 50/20/30 rule as a guide for my budget.

 I did also check out budget percentage recommendations by Dave Ramsey. He gives some flexibility with his ranges. But, I feel that his budgeting has no room for debt unless you count miscellaneous lol. So, I will use his recommendation as a secondary.

Besides debt, a problem area for us would be food. We are at 19%, while Ramsey recommends 15%. If you look back at previous goal updates, you know I’m always fighting with my grocery bill.

I’m always looking for ways to improve. I restarted using Ibotta and I have also tried to really be creative with things that are already in the house. 

Book

So, I do eventually want to write a book about our journey to Gracyn. I actually made an attempt back in October. However, I’m sure that some of you can attest how priorities change with a newborn. 

 I still would very much like to do this. However, I’m now actually praying whether this is the right time. In my last blog post, I talked about sometimes our timing is not God’s timing. While I feel that I have been giving permission to do this, I may have to wait for a season. 

I am going to put it on my goals list for February, but I know that it could get tabled soon. My #1 priority this year is reading my Bible cover to cover. 

So, I’m moving into February. It’s a short month, so we will see what happens!

How did you jam in January?  Let me know in the comments below.

 

Stay Saved,

Shannon

P.S. If you need extra motivation to slay your goals, you can see my 4 tips on goal setting or try my Let’s Goal Worksheet. And, I have items in the Shop section to help you grind out your goals.

You can also see last month’s update here.

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